


An Expected Visit

by IntegrityProductions



Category: Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (Cartoon)
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Mentioned Murder, Sad with a Happy Ending, Scarle and Kipo address the fact that they have two very different worldviews, kinda hurt/comfort but barely, soft angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:21:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25157659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IntegrityProductions/pseuds/IntegrityProductions
Summary: Kipo can't sleep after everything that had happened on the coronation. Too much is on her mind and she figures a visit to Hugo would clear some things up.
Relationships: Kipo Oak & Scarlemagne | Hugo
Comments: 8
Kudos: 131





	An Expected Visit

**Author's Note:**

> It's only expected that Kipo talks to Hugo after he's been captured, so I took a crack at giving my own take on it.  
> I have no idea if I wrote Scarlemange/Hugo completely in character but I tried lmao. First fic lemme know how well it went.
> 
> No editing or beta readers we die like men.

Kipo laid awake while her friends slept close by. She should be sleeping too, she knows this, but she can’t. It’s Hugo. Scarlemange to everyone else, but to her and her dad it’s Hugo. She can’t help but feel worried about him.

He’s safe. The Timbercats aren’t malicious and aren’t to harm him while he’s in their cell, but Kipo worries nonetheless. The Hugo Scarlemange spoke about, the Hugo stuck in the lab, seemed so kind and gentle. So did the Hugo that played the piano with her last night before the coronation. Yet this morning it was like he was someone different. He was Scarlemange again. Mean, cruel, and attacked at a whim.

Yet why did she still feel sorry for him?

She couldn’t help it. She couldn’t help but care. She cared yesterday and despite everything that happened today she still cares about him. It made her quietly grown and cover her face with her hands. She hated this complicated feeling that put a pit in her gut and kept her awake. She reveals her face and looks at her friends. They’re sleeping peacefully. Yet she can’t.

She sighs and sits up, careful not to move Mandu too much since she was curled beside her. She wants to go see him. Despite already knowing her friends would have objections to it, she wants to see him. It would be nothing dangerous, Kipo figured. She just wanted to talk to him, just figure out where it all went wrong.

She thought she got through to him.

Taking one last look at her friends, Wolf in particular. She knew the objection would be there if or when she found out. She caught herself smiling as she can already imagine Wolf asking if she was crazy for wanting to talk to him, for thinking he could still be better. Kipo could always count on her to be the voice of reason, even if she treated it as paranoid surface living reason.

She quietly got up, covered Mandu with her blanket, and stepped out of the room. She was already this bothered so it’s not like there was any use in trying to sleep again. She reasoned that a quick talk would give her the reasoning she needed. Reasoning behind exactly what she didn’t know, but she does know she wants to know _anything_ about what happened earlier that day.

Quietly going down the hall, Kipo quickened her pace. She knew some Timbercats might still be up but she really wasn’t in the mood to explain herself being up. She just needed to get out and see Hugo.

Sure enough, the cage was outside. It wasn’t far from the main gathering area the cats had. Close enough to be aware if something were to happen to it but far enough to keep the prisoner out of their business. Kipo glanced up. The full moon was out, which was good, it meant her jaguar eyes wouldn’t come out. She preferred not to think about the jaguar stuff for a few minutes, no matter how cool she still thinks it is.

She approached quietly, not quite sure if Hugo’s asleep. He’s on his side, but not facing her. His litterbox-cage was tidy. No sign of the pancakes she had made sure he gotten at dinner, even the plate was gone. She guessed one of the cats took it away after dinner. She sat crisscrossed in front of his age, just watching. A part of her knew it was weird she was just watching him sleep but a better part of her mind just swirled with thoughts and questions about him.

She frowned. It really did seem like they bonded and got to be cool with each other! Kipo really thought it would’ve made a difference. It did? Just not in the way she wanted. She grimaced as she remembered the “gift” Scarlemange had given to her at the coronation. A golden statue and a threat to all in the colosseum watching. What kind of the gift was that!? She had given him a blanket, what about that translated into murder!? Her face was sour with despair as she realized her thought. Murder. He had murdered those three frogs. Sure, they had tried to attack her- a couple of times actually- but she didn’t think that warranted murder! Nor what was probably a gruesome one, they _were_ in gold.

Kipo shakes her head and realizes tears had come to her eyes with the horrid realization. She was still shaken up about it. She didn’t want any of that to happen. She just wanted to make things _better_ , to help everyone, even Scarlemange. She clawed at the ground as she scrunched her face, trying to convince the tears to not fall and just disappear. She didn’t want any of this to have had happened, and she certainly didn’t want to cry about it.

She released the ground beneath her and just pulled up her legs. Showing only her eyes she just stared at Hugo’s back. He still wore his weird coronation get-up, an aesthetic she never really got. She just kept staring and thinking. Replaying the events of the day and just wondering what had happened for it to happen. Why didn’t he just let them go? Why did he need all those mutes to be his subjects? Why did her dad choose her over him and not even _try_ to make it work? Why did all this happen? _Why?_

Scarlemange rolls over. It barely registers with Kipo as she keeps staring and thinking. Thinking about all the mean things he’s done. Not just to her, but to everyone. Destroying Ratland that Brad and Amy worked so hard on, mind-controlling her people, destroying her burrow, mind-controlling _her mom_. It all is just running through her head and she stares; stares with such a mean and betrayed look at the mandrill. She doesn’t even notice his eyes start to open, she’s just staring intensely as she’s lost in her mind that’s been keeping her up.

“Kipo?”

His voice snaps her out of it. Her expression instantly changing.

“You’re awake.”

“As are you.” He sits up and rubs his eyes, thoroughly weirded out by Kipo apparently watching him sleep.

“Why?”

“Could ask the same. You were watching me after all.”

“Ah… Sorry.”

There was a pause. Just silence as Kipo crosses her legs again and looks off while Hugo takes a good look at his baby sister. The bags under her eyes and the awkward body-language apparent to him.

“Why are you here?” He speaks softly. Part of him makes an easy guess.

“I just… I don’t know.” She sighs and looks down. “I couldn’t sleep and everything about today was running through my mind and I kept thinking about you and what you did and all those mutes scared and how everyone almost _died_ in gold and I just…”

Hugo frowns. “Just what?”

“Just… want to know why.” She finally looks at him in the eyes. “Why did you do all that.”

“Do all what dear sister? The coronation? Because I want to be Emperor of course.”

“Augh! I get that but why go through all the effort! Why hurt and scare people soooo much just so you could be some dumb crown on your head!?”

“It’s not just some dumb crown!” He scowled. “I would’ve been Emporer! I would’ve have subjects and mutes all around me. I could’ve built the greatest thing for mute-kind! It was great!”

“How was it great? Mutes were scared of you! Humans were scared of you! You threatened all of them!”

“Well how else were they going to be my subject!? I already told you nobody wants to be ruled. And no one ever chooses me over other options…”

“How do you know that’s true!?” Kipo said. “Mom and Dad both chose to be with you in the lab-“

“Don’t bring them into this!” He snarls. “They didn’t choose me! Lio didn’t. He left me for dead, didn’t even check on me.”

“Well yea, I know that.” Kipo lowers her voice, uncomfortably aware of the noise the two have been making. “But it doesn’t mean he doesn’t care. He went back for you when you knocked out on the steps! He made sure you didn’t drown the gold. Gold, which I might add, that you were willing to drown other people in.”

He pauses for a second, clearly irritated. “Well what does that have to do with anything?”

“Wha- We care about you Hugo!” She whisper-shouts. “Why else would he keep you from the gold? Why else would I make a blanket and apologize and play board games with you and-! And…”

“And what?”

“Talk to you now I guess.” She looks down again.

He pauses again. “Why are you talking to me?” He already asked but there was a different answer to be expected this time.

“I don’t know. Like I said. Just wanted to know why.” Kipo pulls her legs up to herself again. “Why you were… I don’t know. Mean? You were so mean to everyone. Mean to Gerard, mean to all the mutes watching, just so mean.”

“How was I mean? I gave them a choice you know!” He grits his teeth.

“That wasn’t a choice!” She hisses back. “That was a threat and you know it! What kind of choice is ‘join me or be made into a statue’!? That was so mean! And wrong! Of course they were going to join if it meant living! No one wants to die!”

Hugo sat in silence, a cold look in his eyes.

“And that was supposed to be a gift to me!? A gift is something nice! I gave you something nice! You gave me something horrible! You killed those frogs! And you were going to kill all those other mutes too I bet! Do you even know how wrong and scary that was!?”

Kipo wasn’t holding her legs anymore. She was on her knees to be eye level with Hugo as she chewed him out. She was upset.

“No.” He said quietly. “No I don’t.”

“Wha- how- what do you mean you don’t?”

“I don’t.” He said solemnly. “Scary yes, I could see how it could be frightening now. But wrong? Kipo- dear sister- I don’t think you realize; the only thing I was taught was wrong was making somebody do something they didn’t want to. Given a choice it seemed that they did want to be ruled by me.”

“As oppose to death.” She said coldly.

“As oppose to death.” He repeated.

More silence. It seems to be a trend.

“How could you not know scaring people like that was wrong?” Kipo asked quietly.

“I’m not quite sure little sister.” He said just as quietly. “I just… Did not know.”

“Thinking you could die is really scary Hugo… Why would you think that would be okay to do?”

“I don’t know I just…” He looked almost sad as he looked off into the distance. “I guess it didn’t strike me as out of the ordinary, as something so outlandish and cruel. It seemed like a perfectly natural thing. I mean, when I was first on the surface I was also worried I was going to die. It was a natural occurrence, not even just for me but for others too, dying was and is a real possibility up here.”

“I get that.” Kipo sighs. “But giving them a choice, to die or not, to die painfully, it’s something else entirely.”

“I suppose it is.”

Another pause. They’re not looking at each other but each presence is still suffocating.

“I mean… I still don’t get why.” She says. “Why Emperor? Why rule? What happened to a family and friends? I mean I get you’re mad at dad and all, but there were still the other monkeys.”

“They weren’t interested in me.”

“How could you know that? You only spent a little time with them, and yea you had to fight to be in the group but you were still in the group!”

“They didn’t _like_ me Kipo.” He narrows his eyes at her. “They never did.”

“Did you even give them a chance to?”

He gave her a glare.

“C’mon Hugo! You could’ve just been nice! Sure it’s awkward meeting new people- er mutes- but did you even give them a chance to warm up to you? You were so cool with me the other day! What happened to you? What made you so mean?”

“I don’t know.” He said curtly. “Family, friendship, was that really an option for me? Lio chose you over me so it clearly wasn’t.”

Kipo groaned. It’s like this conversation was going in circles. She turned her back to the mandrill and sulked while holding her knees once more.

Hugo only looked at her, pity, confusion, and hurt in his eyes. It didn’t seem like his dear baby sister was out here just to berate him for all he’s done but that’s all that seemed to be happening. He didn’t understand why exactly he upset her so much. Upon a second thought he did realize she was only thirteen and that maybe forcing her to witness such harsh things might’ve been too much for her young age. But how was he supposed to know? He scowled. Held in a lab for most of his life, it’s not like he was explicitly taught a whole lot. As far as he knows, he was only taught things that could explicitly show he could think and that was it.

It didn’t give him a whole lot to do or care about as a result. He only cared about Song and Lio and the new life they were going to have on the surface. Besides that, all that interested him were the piano and some of the history books that were given to him. Stories of great Kings and their monarchies ruling lots of people, it fascinated him. The power, the praise, sure he had learned of some cruel ones, but they were still on top regardless. They still held respect. They still did good things for their subjects.

“Kipo I…” He scooted closer. “I was given some books back in the lab. Books about monarchies and all the wonderful things they did. It was so fascinating to me. The respect they had and how they were revered, the wonderful palaces they lived in with all their fancy clothes and dances. It seemed so, so very exquisite, living with such lavish things.”

Kipo only turned her head slightly towards Hugo.

“Besides music and… And well you and your parents, it’s all I had. When I didn’t have you and your family, well, I guess it was all I had left to turn to. I didn’t and still don’t have your friendly and warm mindset of befriending others. All I had… All I _have_ is what were in those books. What I was shown in the lab.”

She turned to look at him. He had such a soft hurt in his eyes. She could see he was upset, confused, and it made her want to hug him all over again.

“Hugo…”

“I don’t exactly know how it’s made me seem so mean to you, but it all seemed natural to me. I don’t understand your ways Kipo. I don’t understand how you think you can just be kind and people will like you back, I don’t understand why you were so willing to be trapped as a mute just to save everyone.”

He looked down as Kipo had a face full of concern.

“You’re so different. Not just from me, but from _everything_ I’ve experienced. Sure, your parents were also kind to me, but not kind in your way. You sacrifice for others. I’ve never seen that. Why do that? Why sacrifice your own life and living to save others? Why be so kind and thoughtful to connect with others?”

“I… I don’t know. It just seems right.” She said. “It seems right, and it was what my gut wanted to do. I don’t really know what I’m doing I guess? I’ve just been trying to do good.”

Another pause of silence.

“I just want things to _be_ good I guess.” She sighed. “It seemed so good, back in the burrow, I had a family, I had a community. Food, school, and all that was good! Then I was thrown to the surface and despite being scared at first it _seemed_ cool. All these big flowers and weird creature, and then I met Mandu and Wolf and Benson and Dave and despite things going a little _crazy,_ I thought it was good.”

“How so? Weren’t you being hunted?” An uncomfortable realization for him.

“Well yea. You did have a bounty on my head on top of mutes just not liking humans. But I thought it was good regardless! Like, I had my friends! And I had hope I was going to see my dad again! And then I did… And then you broke in…”

The two frowned.

“Then it was just like… like things couldn’t be better. But I thought I could fix it, you know? Stop you from hurting my people and just have a happy family again. So I went with my friends to find my anchor, and then with the resistance, all so I could keep going and get to a happy family again.”

She faced Hugo completely and hugged her legs.

“I just wanted things to be happy…”

“And I took that away, didn’t I?”

Kipo opened her mouth to rebuttal but closed it. She couldn’t think of anything.

“Seems fitting enough. Hugo and all his kindness is dead as Scarlemange rises and become a cruel emperor, scaring all the mutes around him. I suppose it’d be natural that’d in enslaving all the humans I could find; I’d hurt my little sister.”

Kipo just looked sad. Hugo gave a little scoff.

“That’s just who I am now I suppose, Scarlemange!” He gave a little wave with a sarcastic smile. “The failed emperor that treats all who crosses him with cruelty and injustice as he scavenges the surface for any sort of comfort after losing his family.”

“But you don’t have to be that!”

“What?”

“You can still be kind! You were nice to me! You could be nice again! You could show everyone else how you can be nice and I’m sure they’ll like you!”

“How can you be so sure?” He doubted her words.

“Because I still like you!”

“… Why?”

“Because… I don’t know.” She sighed and turned away from, leaning her head back on the bar the separates the too. “I still think you’re cool and that we could be a happy family.”

Hugo doesn’t respond as he watches her face. Her eyes closed and sad. Kipo looks so very tired with everything. It doesn’t surprise him at all, she put up a fantastic fight today. He supposes she’s been putting up good fights for quite some time. Though now he realizes not all these fights are physical as he once assumed. He comes closer and places a hand on her shoulder.

“Being a happy family would be nice. I wish that’d to be possible.”

“I think it’s possible.” She places her own hand on top of his.

“How so? I’ve hurt you. I’ve hurt a lot of people.”

“So what? Being family means you forgive each other and love each other anyways.”

“You love _me_ anyways?”

“Yes.” She says after a beat. “You’re nice. You’re a cool brother. I think I’d like you to be my brother.”

“I love you too, little sister.” He says with a soft smile. He truly did believe he loved her. She was the only truly kind figure that hasn’t turned on him. How could he not love her and all the kindness she gives him?

She turns and smiles at him, still holding his hand.

Maybe things could get better. They both certainly want it to be. Maybe instead of Kipo always working hard to fix problems and make things better, Hugo could take a turn and try to better the things around him. Better his relations with others and embraced the kind heart and soul Kipo has.

He certainly wishes to.


End file.
